Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to her Department’s publication of spending over £500 with a Government procurement card, at which Hilton hotel did the Environment Agency conduct conflict resolution training for members of the Voluntary Bailiff Service in December 2021; and for what reason was that training required.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This payment was for venue hire, accommodation and subsistence for the training of nine delegates from the Voluntary Bailiff Service (Phase 2), a pilot partnership project between the Angling Trust and Environment Agency. This health and safety training was a two-day (27 and 28 Nov 2021) conflict resolution course, which the Environment Agency requires volunteers to attend and pass as part of its commitment to helping staff stay safe whilst rod licence and byelaw compliance checking. Health and safety training is key for this role, but this is not something the Environment Agency can deliver in-house.
The Environment Agency has a contract with Calders to procure venues for meetings and training. The training took place at Double Tree by Hilton, Dartford Bridge, Masthead Close, Crossways Business Park, Dartford, Kent, DA2 6QF. Out of three suitable venues identified by Calders in the locality specified, this venue came in as the second most competitive option. The most competitive location had become unavailable after the original booking due to an electrical fault.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to her Department’s Greening Government Commitments for 2021-25, how many tonnes of food waste were produced from her Departmental estate in Financial Year (a) 2021-22 and (b) 2022-23 up to 31 December 2022.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
In line with the Greening Government Commitments (GGC), Defra has committed to measure and report on food waste, for estates with over 50 full-time equivalent staff and/or over 500m2 floor area offering a food service.
The requested information for 2021-2022 will be published in the GGC Annual Report for 2021-2022, due later this year. The data for April 1st 2022 to December 31st 2022 will be published in the Annual Report covering 2022-2023.
GGC annual reporting is delayed due to Covid-19 impacts, but the Government remains committed to reducing the environmental impact of its estate and operations.
Defra includes sustainability clauses in its contracts around food quality, food miles and reducing waste.
It is also worth noting that food waste is a function of the number of staff we have and how many are using our offices.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she plans to publish the Greening Government Commitments annual reports for (a) 2020-21 and (b) 2021-22.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The Greening Government Commitments 2020-21 annual report was delayed to reduce pressure on facilities teams across government, as a result of COVID-19. The report will be published in early 2023. This will be the final report of the previous framework
The Greening Government Commitments 2021-22 annual report, the first report against the 2021-2025 framework, will be published later this year.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the transaction for £1,567.63 on 14 December 2021 included in her Department’s publication of spending over £500 with a Government procurement card, how many members of Marine Management Organisation staff stayed at the Island Club Turks; and what the purpose was of that visit.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Three members of the MMO Global Marine Team travelled to the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) under the UK Government’s Blue Belt Programme. The Blue Belt programme aims to enhance protection of the marine environment in the UK’s overseas territories. The TCI Government signed up to the programme in 2021 and formally announced this at World Ocean Day in 2022. The purpose of the visit was to meet with TCI Government Ministers and hold workshops with key stakeholders to scope support that the programme would provide to TCI.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to her Department’s publication of spending over £500 with a Government procurement card in November 2021, what accounts for the difference between the price of the payments made to Hotel Ibis by the Joint Nature Conservation Society on (a) 2 November for £2,719.00 and (b) 5 November 2021 for 2,649.80 for the accommodation of four staff between 31 October and 9 November 2021.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
A team of JNCC's experts attended the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties in Glasgow in November 2021. Their involvement included hosting eleven livestream events on nature-based solutions for a net zero and resilient future, monitoring landscape change, addressing threats through global, national, and local approaches, international partnerships and oceans action.
The payments to the IBIS hotel for 31 October to 9 November 2021 were for two JNCC staff members for ten nights and one staff member staying for two nights, at a total cost of £5,368.80. All were attending the CoP-26 conference in Glasgow. The difference in the two sums is because the hotel divided up the total cost into two- part payments.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether it is her Department's policy that government procurement cards should not be used for purchases (a) of alcohol and (b) that could be made via an alternative compliant purchasing route.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Government Procurement Cards are one of many routes to market and purchasing. Cards are used for low value, low risk goods and services and non-contentious irregular items from one-off suppliers. These items can also be procured through a self-service purchase order route.
Alcohol purchases are permitted only in exceptional circumstances and require additional approval from a senior civil servant.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to her Department's publication of electronic purchasing card spending over £500 for February 2021, (a) how many mugs were purchased by Natural England from We Brand It on 15 February 2021, and (b) what branding was printed on those mugs.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The Natural England Evidence Services Team issued team members with a mug as part of a reward and recognition award and a wellbeing morale boost recognising their hard work and commitment during lockdown. 170 mugs were ordered, with NE branding and a picture of St. Cwyfan’s Church, Anglesey which was the winning photo on a team wellbeing competition during lockdown.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 18 July 2022 to Question 31794 on Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Electronic Purchasing Card Solution, how many people working in her Department’s executive agencies held electronic purchasing cards that allowed them to make purchases against her Department's budget as of 31 March 2022.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The number of electronic purchasing card holders in each of Defra’s executive agencies is as follows.
Animal and Plant Health Agency: 50
Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science: 266
Rural Payments Agency: 12
Veterinary Medicines Directorate: 12
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what their Department spent in 2021 on purchasing goods and services with a value of less than £500 on a government procurement card.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The department spent £199,762 in 2021 on purchasing goods and services with a value of less than £500 on a government procurement card. This equates to 2,486 transactions.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she will to respond to Questions 97494 and 97595 tabled on 28 November 2022 by the Rt hon. Member for Islington South and Finsbury.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Answers are being prepared and will be published shortly.